NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed the league had selected Minneapolis, New Orleans and Indianapolis as the three finalists to bid for Super Bowl LII (or 52).

Tampa, Miami and Dallas had also applied to host the game, but league officials trimmed the list of potential host cities from six to three during the NFL's Fall Meeting this week in Washington, DC. The NFL will announce the winning city in May.

Tampa has hosted four Super Bowls, the last in 2009. The NFL also crowned its champion in Tampa in 1984, 1991, and 2001.

The NFL annually invites a few cities to submit bids to host an upcoming Super Bowl, then trims that list to finalists. This is the third straight time Tampa has lost out after being invited to bid, after losing the 2014 Super Bowl to the New York City/New Jersey region, and the 2015 game to Glendale, Ariz.

"We have loved hosting Super Bowls in our community and are hopeful to gain strong consideration for bidding again in the near future," said Rob Higgins, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission.